Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Cao Cao looked over and was overjoyed when he heard this.

"What ingenious tricks does Zhongde have for me?"

Cheng Yu twirled a few strands of black beard under his chin, looking like a serious and stern gentleman, and said.

"My lord, can we talk in the inner room?"

Cao Cao's expression changed slightly and he agreed, then took Cheng Yu to the inner room behind the conference room.

However, Dian Wei still followed and guarded on both sides.

Cheng Yu also knew that his lord was suspicious by nature, and Dian Wei was always with him to prevent him from doing the same thing as Jing Ke.

Cheng Yu didn't mind it. Facing Cao Cao's scrutinizing eyes, he bowed and said.

"My lord, Qingzhou is now in ruins. Even if Xun Wenruo has the ability to govern the country, it will take him a long time to govern Qingzhou. I am unable to provide you with enough money and food before you set out to fight next spring."

"Could it be that Cheng Zhongde is here to plead for me on behalf of Xun Wenruo?" Cao Cao asked in return.

"No, it's just that Yu knows that he is not as talented as Xun Wenruo, and he is powerless to ease the pressure of money and grain by using the kingly way." Cheng Yu replied.

Cao Cao's eyes flashed...

Cheng Yu was so cautious, and he had to go to a secluded place in the inner room before speaking. He also repeatedly used Xun Wenruo to show that the plan he proposed was contrary to common sense, and he was afraid that it was not a good plan.

"Zhongde, just speak your mind. No matter what the plan is, Zhongde is offering it to help me share my worries. It is a merit and no fault." Cao Cao promised.

What Cheng Yu was waiting for was nothing more than this promise.

Immediately, Cheng Yu stopped keeping the secret and spoke.

"Let's talk about money first. The people of Qingzhou have been fleeing in large numbers, and many of the local noble families have been harmed by the Yellow Turban bandits. I'm afraid there is not much money left on the ground."

Cao Cao first thought that Cheng Yu was just talking nonsense, then he gradually came to his senses and asked.

"on the ground?"

"Of course!"

Cheng Yu nodded, a few strands of black beard fluttering, and said in a deep voice.

"Qingzhou is the former site of Qi State in the pre-Qin period. There are countless Qi monarchs and nobles buried there. Now that my lord wants to use Qi land to restore Qi's hegemony, why not ask the ancient sages of Qi State to bring their treasures unearthed to help us?"

At this moment, even with Cao Cao's temperament, he almost couldn't hold it back.

Tomb robbing is tomb robbing...

Something about asking the sages of Qi to bring the precious treasures unearthed to help, made Cao Cao feel much less guilty and instantly moved.

Countless kings and nobles throughout the Qi Dynasty were buried in Qingzhou, and the number of treasures buried underground was undoubtedly unimaginable during the pre-Qin period when people were buried alive with their ancestors.

It was rumored that Li Ji took advantage of Wujun's geographical location to develop maritime trade, and brought Liu Bei countless amounts of money from overseas for him to squander.

Today, I, Cao, have to adapt to local conditions. Since I am temporarily unable to expand overseas in Qingzhou, then exploring underground may be a good idea.

However, even though he was moved, Cao Cao still spoke subconsciously.

"But this disturbs the sage's sleep, I'm afraid it's a bit inappropriate, right?"

"You are not a fish, so how do you know the joy of a fish?"

Cheng Yu retorted solemnly.

"Perhaps those ancient sages of the powerful Qi Dynasty had long since given up the idea of ​​rotting in the underground, and wanted to come back to the world to help the overlord achieve his hegemony. It is still unknown. The lord is only fulfilling the wishes of the ancient sages."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao paced back and forth for a few breaths, looking embarrassed. Finally, he sighed and said.

"What Zhongde said makes some sense. In this case, Cao will let Zhongde temporarily serve as the 'Fa Qiu Zhonglang Jiang', and then select good men from the army as 'Mojin Xiaowei' to organize a group of people who are good at excavation. What do you think?" "Yes, my lord." Cheng Yu showed a look of joy and agreed immediately.

Although Cao Cao now calls himself the "Governor of Qingzhou", he has not even been recognized by the court, let alone being qualified to be appointed as the General of the Central Army.

However, perhaps this General of the Household was not recognized by the Han Dynasty, but he represented a position within Cao Cao's group. For a strategist like Cheng Yu who had just joined, this was almost a leap in status.

"However, before Zhongde asks the sage to excavate the body for help, he must offer three sacrificial animals and then ask him whether he is willing to excavate the body. Never force him to do anything," Cao Cao said.

"Yes."

Cheng Yu agreed with a smile on his face, knowing that this was not only to make the story sound better when it was spread, but also to win over the tomb robbers.

After all, ordinary soldiers may not be willing to do such things that would be criticized, but...what are the three animals?
It was said to be an offering to the ancestors, but in fact, it ended up becoming the most delicious meat and ended up in the stomachs of the tomb robbers.
With meat in their bellies, the soldiers were no longer afraid of having their spines poked.

As for something that cannot be forced, if the sages buried in the soil could really voice their objection, let alone continue digging, Cheng Yu would be the first to run away.

After solving the money problem, Cao Cao continued to ask Cheng Yu.

"Zhongde, it is difficult to achieve great things if you have money but no food. Where will the food come from?"

"Of course there is."

After this series of tests, Cheng Yu had already realized that Cao Cao's bottom line was probably not high, so his tone was not as cautious as before.

"Zhongde, please speak." Cao Cao asked hurriedly.

"Isn't the food in the military farms set up by the lord?" Cheng Yu replied.

Cao Cao frowned slightly and said.

"Zhongde, are you trying to tease me? Just now you knew Wen Ruo's difficulties. Farming is a good idea, but it will take time to store food."

Cheng Yu lowered his voice slightly and said, "My Lord, the food I am referring to is not the food that is planted in the fields, but the food that is walking in the fields."

"Walking in the fields? Field mice..."

Cao Cao answered subconsciously, then suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu remained silent and lowered his head.

Since the Han Dynasty gradually lost its ability to control the local areas, there was no disaster relief from the imperial court when natural disasters or man-made disasters occurred in various places.

Cannibalism is not an uncommon occurrence.

When Cao Cao was the Prime Minister of Jinan, he witnessed the inhumane hell with his own eyes, which invisibly had a great impact on Cao Cao's character.

Since then, Cao Cao has understood that being alive is more important than anything else. Only by being alive can one be qualified to talk about human relations, ambitions, and etiquette...

It was precisely because he had seen such a tragic scene that Cao Cao reacted so quickly to realize that the military rations Cheng Yu was talking about were probably not grown grains, but grains grown from crops.

This time, Cao Cao remained silent for a long while and was obviously in a great psychological struggle.

However, Cao Cao did not directly object, which made Cheng Yu understand that it was not that Cao Cao did not want to, but that his past education had constrained him to some extent.

Immediately, Cheng Yu spoke slowly.

"Qingzhou is now poor and lacks labor, and many elderly people will only hinder Qingzhou's recovery. It is useless to keep them..."

"If you want to achieve hegemony, you can't be soft-hearted. Why are you hesitating now? Liu Xuande has already dominated the land of Jingyang, and Lu Bu will soon leave Hulao in the east. In the north, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao are fighting each other."

"Time is running out, lord. Do you want to wait for the world to be divided up by the heroes, and then hold on to Qingzhou to survive?"

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PS: I will update once at noon, and then update the second chapter when I get home in the evening. I will resume updating three times a day starting tomorrow.

Please forgive me, godfathers. (≧ｗ≦)(End of this chapter)